79: The Holy Grail Temptation: Wiping Out Trillions of Dollars in National Debt, the President Turns Against Him on the Spot

On the other side of the Earth, Washington, Roosevelt Memorial Park.

The night was deep. The public and the National Guard had already retreated, leaving only tens of thousands of candles flickering on the ground, forming a silent sea of stars.

Aside from this candlelight, the park was empty.

Three V-22 osprey tiltrotor aircraft broke the silence of the night, landing on the wide road outside the park in an almost brutal fashion, the resulting airflow blowing out dozens of the nearest candles.

The hatch doors opened.

The current President stepped out of the cabin, flanked by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Treasury.

A negotiation team, compressed to its smallest size, followed closely behind, everyone dressed in dark suits.

The President led the team through the path outlined by candlelight, walking toward the center of the park.

There, Archer Roosevelt sat quietly in his wheelchair, with his descendant, Anna Roosevelt, standing beside him.

They waited silently beneath the bronze statue of Franklin Delano Roosevelt himself.

The President stopped ten meters away from the statue and spoke, his voice deliberately lowered to project a steady sense of control over the situation.

"Mr. Roosevelt, for the sake of national security, I suggest we move to a more secure facility, completely isolated from the outside world, for our talks. Some topics require absolute confidentiality."

Archer Roosevelt did not move, nor did he even adjust his posture; he simply responded calmly.

"That won't be necessary, Mr. President. The location for the negotiations is right here."

"Furthermore, it will be broadcast live to the world throughout."

The President's facial muscles tightened instantly, and the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Treasury beside him exchanged looks of sheer shock.

"That is absolutely impossible." The President's voice lost its previous steadiness. "Some topics involve core national secrets; they cannot possibly be discussed under a global live broadcast."

Archer Roosevelt's response remained gentle, yet his words were incredibly firm.

"What we are going to discuss is precisely what the people of America, and indeed the entire world, need to witness together."

The air froze.

The President's team stood on one side, representing the nation's existing order and power structure.

Archer Roosevelt and Anna were on the other, representing a subversive new force.

Both sides confronted each other silently on either side of the bronze statue, the night wind blowing the candlelight as light and shadow danced across everyone's faces.

Ultimately, it was the President who made the first concession. He took a deep breath, seemingly having made a difficult decision.

"Fine."

"We can talk here."

"But there can be no live broadcast. That is my bottom line."

Having obtained this minimum assurance, the President took two steps forward and cut to the chase.

"Mr. Roosevelt, on behalf of the government of the United States of America, I present to you our first proposal."

"The government can provide you with all necessary assistance, including intelligence, resources, and support in dealing with other supernatural beings."

"In exchange, you must accept the government's leadership, become a strategic weapon for the nation, and serve the interests of the United States."

Archer Roosevelt listened quietly and did not answer immediately.

He seemed to be pondering the feasibility of the proposal; only the sound of the wind and the faint crackle of the burning candles remained in the park.

After a moment, he slowly shook his head.

"I cannot accept your proposal."

"Now, listen to my conditions."

As soon as he said this, the initiative in the negotiations shifted completely.

"For the duration of my participation in and until I win this 'Holy Grail War', the United States of America must transfer its supreme executive power to me."

"Furthermore, my 'New Era Bill of Rights' must be implemented fully and thoroughly."

"That's impossible!" The Secretary of Defense could no longer remain silent. He stepped forward and barked a rebuttal, "This is treason! You are asking the President to voluntarily relinquish power and subvert the Constitution!"

"This move is equivalent to declaring war on the entire United States of America!"

Archer Roosevelt ignored the Secretary of Defense's fury, his gaze turning toward the current President.

"The final victor of the Holy Grail War can obtain a wish-granting machine capable of realizing any desire—the Holy Grail."

"Mr. President, compared to a chance to realize any wish, which carries more weight: the future of the nation, or this opportunity?"

The President and the secretaries beside him fell into a long silence.

The term "Holy Grail" was like a heavy bomb exploding in their minds, completely overturning their perception of this event.

This was no longer a simple supernatural crisis management; it was a gamble concerning the fate of the nation.

The Secretary of the Treasury pushed up his glasses and spoke with a dry voice.

"This... Holy Grail, are there any limits to the wishes it can grant?"

Archer Roosevelt gave a specific example.

"For example, it could allow America to acquire technology a century ahead of the world, or make your trillions in national debt vanish into thin air."

Each example precisely struck the most vulnerable nerves of the politicians present.

The President and the two secretaries immediately huddled together, conducting an urgent internal discussion in the lowest of voices.

Their expressions shifted constantly between struggle, weighing options, and greed.

Minutes later, the President faced Archer Roosevelt again, his breathing somewhat rapid.

"We can cooperate with you to implement the bill, but we need an insurance policy."

"The government will select a citizen who is absolutely loyal to the country to become your Master."

"In this form, we will establish the most basic connection and trust between our two sides."

Archer Roosevelt thought for a moment; this plan was within his expectations.

"Very well."

"But I have one prerequisite."

"Until the Holy Grail War officially begins, all my administrative orders must be executed unconditionally."

A flash of struggle crossed the President's face, but it was ultimately overridden by a greater temptation. He knew he had no room to refuse.

Finally, he extended his right hand.

"Deal."

Archer Roosevelt sat in his wheelchair and did not rise.

He also extended his own hand and shook the current President's hand... The next morning.

The White House held a global press conference that captured the attention of the entire world.

The current President stood personally at the podium, facing countless flashes, and announced to the world in an unprecedentedly solemn tone.

The government of the United States of America would enter into full cooperation with Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who had descended in the Archer class as a "Protector of the Nation."

The two sides would jointly form a temporary Supreme Wartime Committee to address the common challenges and opportunities that all of humanity was about to face in the "Holy Grail War."

The announcement was released.

The world was shocked.

"My God, has the President gone mad? He's handing the country over to a... a ghost?" a CNN anchor shouted out of turn during the live broadcast, but he was immediately cut off by the director.

However, his words had already spread across the world through countless mobile screens.

Wall Street traders looked at the push notification, feeling as if the blood had been drained from them in an instant.

The entity that had wiped out JPMorgan Chase's market value out of thin air had now legitimately become one of the nation's supreme decision-makers.

The panic index instantly broke historical records. If the global markets hadn't already been halted, an unprecedented financial tsunami would have swallowed everything in an instant.

In contrast to the wailing of the financial world, in the countless slums of New York, Chicago, and Detroit, people rushed into the streets, holding their phones high, the screens displaying the news of the President's cooperation with Roosevelt.

Earth-shaking cheers rose one after another, and countless people were moved to tears, viewing this as a miracle, a savior's response to his believers.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean in China, the internet was already a sea of joy.

"Holy crap! You couldn't even write a script like this! The Eagle's family just abdicated directly?"

"This is what you call 'the Emperor guarding the gates, the King dying for his country' (tactical lean back)! Martial Emperor of America is badass!"

"I declare that from today on, this is my spiritual motherland! Comrades, for the Federation! Hurrah!"

"The guy above, you're on the wrong channel! But seriously, this move by the Roosevelt Family went straight from Bronze to Challenger; it can be called the strongest investment in history."

"The hashtag #AmericanPeopleWelcomeTheKingsArmy has been pushed to the top again. I'm dying of laughter!"

The supreme intelligence agencies of various countries fell into unprecedented chaos and busyness.

Cooperation with The Pentagon meant that the global military power of the US military could, in theory, be mobilized by that entity known as Archer.

An entity possessing supernatural power while also holding the world's strongest conventional military force—this was no longer a challenge, but a subversion.

Vatican, Sistine Chapel.

The Pope looked at the urgent intelligence coming through the encrypted line, speechless for a long time.

Joan of Arc requested the Church's assistance in maintaining order, while America chose to deeply bind itself with a participant, taking a completely different path.

"Lord..." the old Pope murmured to himself, "what kind of future do You truly wish to see?"

And on Longhu Mountain, Zhang Ruoxu also received the intelligence handed over by his disciples.

The Old Celestial Master looked at the news headlines on his phone screen, and for the first time, a hint of astonishment appeared on that usually calm face.

Li Bai, behind him, also saw the news, and the White-robed Sword Immortal let out a light laugh.

"Interesting."

"It seems this grand drama of the mortal world is even more exciting than I imagined."